Guineas Goal for Fastnet Colt
Progressive colt Holy Snow (3c Fastnet Rock x Only Words, by End Sweep) will be out to make up for lost time in the Group I VRC Australian Guineas after his dynamic last to first win in the Group II MRC Autumn Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
His trainer Mick Price said Holy Snow did plenty wrong as a spring three-year-old, which led to delays getting him qualified to race, but the Yulong Investments owned colt showed his potential with a placing in the Group II MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m).
“The thing about last prep, was that it was pretty messy because we spent maybe a month or so more than we needed to try and get his barrier certificate,” Price said.
“He was a colt that used to fight and fight and fight and not do the right thing and it sort of wears your horse out.
“He was good in the Bill Stutt and the Caulfield Guineas caught him pretty trained off.”
Holy Snow headed out for a spell after the Caulfield Guineas but finished hard from last on the home turn at his return to racing, swamping the leaders late under the riding of Mick Dee to score by 1 ¼ lengths in the 1400 metre contest after firming from $21 to $16.
Price said he has geared Holy Snow’s preparation towards a second-up run in the Group I Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 3.
“What you saw is some sort of Australian Guineas formguide there and hopefully he can do that at the big Flemington track,” Price said.
“We’ve done our work for straight in – second up at a mile at Flemington and that will be us.”
A $260,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Canning Downs draft for Yu Long Investments, Holy Snow is the seventh winner and first Black type winner from Group II winning End Sweep (USA) mare Only Words.
Holy Snow has won two of six starts and over $150,000 in prizemoney and is the 129th stakes-winner for champion sire Fastnet Rock.